Machine for rolling balls



(No Model.) l W. E. WRIGHT.

MACHINE FOR 'ROLLING BALLS. No. 439,714. .Patented Nov. 4, "1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

VILLIAM H. WRIGHT, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

MACHINE FOR ROLLING BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,714, dated November 4, 1890. Application filed September 10, 1888.v Renewed .Tune 16. 1890. Serial No. 355,556. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county ot' Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Rolling and Grinding Balls, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvement in machines for rolling and grinding steel balls or other similar articles for the purpose of bringing them to as near a perfect spherical form as possible, and will be fully and clearlyhereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation showing the machine complete. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section through line a. b, Fig. 1, cutting through the vertical portion of the overhangin g supporting-arm, showing the bed with the top portions E and exposing several series of balls in position to be ground. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent sections through small portions of the machine, each cutting a cross -section through one of the grooves in which the balls are ground, and showing modifications in their shape.

The frame of machine consists of acircular bed-piece 1, having a central opening 2 through it, and an overhanging arm having a vertical portion 3 and horizontal portion 4, in which is an internally-screw-threaded opening 5, through which the screw threaded sleeve portion 6 of the hand-wheel 7 screws up or down. The screw-threaded opening 5 is placed directly over the center of the opening 2 in the bed. Through the screw-threaded portion 6 is a vertical opening 8, forming the upper bearing, through which the vertical central shaft 9 passes and turns easily therein.

On the bed 1 of the machine is secured, by bolts or in any well-known way, a receptacle 10, having a downwardly-projecting hub 11, which projects down through the-center of the opening 2 and acts as the lower bearing for the vertical shaft 9. In the center of the receptacle 10 is rigidly secured a heavy disk 12, having a series of ball rolling and grinding circular grooves 13. The disk 12, being smaller in diameter than the receptacle, leaves an annular opening 14E to catch oil that may ow from the machine during its operation. Directly over the grooved grinding-disk 12 is another similar grinding-disk 15, which may or may not have corresponding circular rolling and grinding grooves 13 arranged to come exactly over the grooves in the lower disk. As a general thing, I find it does better and quicker work with the grooves 13 in the lower disk only, the upper disk 15 being a flat smooth disk; but they will Work together with such grooves in each disk. I have therefore shown one groove 13 in the upper disk. This disk 15 is rigidly secured to the-driving-shaft 9 and turns with it, and on the top of the disk 15 is secured, by bolts 16, a thin disk 17, having an upwardly-projecting hub 18, the top ot' which rests directly against the under side of the hand-wheel 7. On top of the screw-threaded sleeve portion 6 is a collar 19, rigidly secured to the driving-shaft 9, so that the screw-sleeve 6 Works between the collar 19 and the hub 18. From this construction it will be seen that by turning the hand-wheel 7 the grooved grindingdisk 15, the collar 19, and the vertical driving-shaft 9 may be raised or lowered, or as much pressure can thus be brought to bear upon the balls to be rolled into form or ground 'as may be required.

At the top of the disk 17 is a circular wall or rim 20 to keep the oil from getting on top of the disk, and in the center of the stationary grinding-disk 12 is a circular opening 21. At the top of this opening 21 is a cone-shaped disk 22, rigidly secured to the driving-shaft 9, so as to turn with it.

In the top of the overhangin g arm 4 are two holes 23,(shown in Fig. 2,) through which the tube 24. (shown in Fig. 1) of the oil-cups 25 pass down through holes in the hand-wheel 7 into the rim or receptacle 20. The oil passes down through these tubes 24. from the oil- 'cups 25 into the receptacle 20, and from thence through the holes 26 down on the disk 22, where by centrifugal force it is thrown in between the two grinding-disks 'to supply them with oil. When adjusting the grinding-disks, which is done by the hand-wheel 7, the oil-cups have to be removed, so that IOO the hand-wheel 7 may beturned. All that is necessary to do is to lift them out and re turn them again when t-he adjustment is made.

1t will be noticed that in the lower portion of each of the `grindiug-grooves 13 and 1G is an additional groove 27. (See Figs. l and 3; also Figs. 4, 5, and G, in which modifications in the shape of the grooves are shown.) These supplementary grooves 27 relieve the under side of the ball during the operation of grinding and prevent the grooves from wearing wide instead of downward. It will be noticed that the circumference of the outside ot` the grooves is considerably longer than the inner side circumference f is, so that the ball has a rolling motion in more than one direction. Consequently it is ground perfectly round, as all sides are exposed to the grinding or rolling operation, and a perfeetlytrue ball is formed thereby. It will be noticed that if the disk l5 is tlat without grooves7 as above described, it will have to be raised high enough above the lower disk7 so that the balls can rest or rotate between them. As shown in the drawings, it is let down j ust low enough to receive the ballsbetween the grooves in both disks.

l claim as my inventionm l. lu a machine for rolling and grinding balls, a frame carrying a horizontaldisk having one or more concentric annular grooves t-o receive the balls to be ground, an overhanging arm carrying a screw-sleeve and handfwheel, a vertical shaft having its bearings in the screw-sleeve and on the bed of the machine and provided with a collar rigidly secured thereto and-resting on the top of the screw-sleeve, and a horizontal disk rigidly secured to the shaft and adapted to rest on the balls in the grooved disk, whereby the upper disk may he raised or lowered and the rolling and grinding pressure on the balls thereby regulated, substantially as described.

2. Ina machine for rolling and grinding balls, a grinding or rolling disk having one or more concentric annular grooves provided with a supplementary groove located in the rolling or grinding groove, substantially as and l'or the purposes herein described and shown.

WILLAM Il. WRGHT.

XVitnesses:

JAMES SANesTnn, ARTHUR J. Siinosfrnn. 

